Chapter 14: A different place.
Before I knew it, I found myself on the ground, gazing up at an empty sky with no sign of the Aeonian in sight. I felt my senses slipping away from my body, as if something was draining my energy, leaving me unable to move.
How odd… It was just in my sight, but now it had vanished. It was supposed to be there in the void, yet why can’t I see it? I found myself caught in a loop of self-questioning unable to find any answers.
Wait, that’s strange. Has the border always been black? The Bublitz should usually be yellow with white dots and trails. Why is it different now?
There’s something… like a faint whisper hinting at a dreadful reasoning that could explain it all. I’ve fallen off… fallen off from Aeonian.
No… That can’t be… I refuse… If… If I fell off Aeonian and it traveled away from me… Then, what am I supposed to do? If not for Aeonian, what can I even do?
I promise to Aeonian to return, to come back home, to save Aeonian from those fakes, to repair Aeonian. If I am unable to return to Aeonian, then what can I do?
That’s impossible… There’s no way… I mean, I heard it from Pheleppeides, that the Aeonian is a realm protected by a protective layer called Bublitz and travels through interfilamentary dimensions. I don’t fully understand it all, but I have never passed through the Bublitz. I have never seen myself passing through the protective layer of Aeonian.
That’s why… Even if that may not be the correct answer… I will convince myself that things aren’t as bad as they seem… I mean, I managed to survive… I managed to escape… And now, my only focus is saving Aeonian.
How did this even happen in the first place? If I hadn’t left from that place— If I hadn’t left the Core room, I would have remained in Aeonian… But that would have meant that I would never see Aeonian in its light… That’s why… That’s why I left to fix the problems Aeonian has.
But how—no. That’s not good. Maybe… I feel like ‘when’ is better. With ‘when’, it sounds like I can do it. So I should start asking ‘when’… That’s why I have to do it; to eventually achieve it.
I must continue, even though it may seem impossible. There's nothing else to do but to continue. After all, Aeonian is the reason why I have to continue.
My body felt heavy, as if something was pulling me down. I was supposed to be weightless, but every move I felt strained. Glancing at my HUD, I saw that 6 out of 70 mana had been recovered. Should I just stay like this and wait for Pheleppeides?
Pheleppeides must know the answer; they must know how to return to Aeonian. So I can’t lose hope here. I must continue—I have to start moving. As I pulled out my body that phased halfway through the ground, I realized I had landed on a grassy patch of area, dotted with several flowers emitting white petals and yellow pistils.
These flowers are quite beautiful, unlike anything I have seen in Aeonian, all withered just like its place, Aeonian.
~~~
I can’t stop thinking about Aeonian. I know I have to return… I know I have to take action, but how do I start? Where must I go? Allowing my vision to separate slightly from my form to look at my surroundings, I see trees filled anywhere I turn, with glowing small insects flying here and there. There, I noticed some branches were filled with numerous birds all staring at me. They repeatedly flash a red glow in their eyes, as if planning to prey on me.
Seeing them, I couldn’t help but recall my encounter with those fake Guardians… Their scornful looks with red eyes are beginning to stir dislike within me. Turning my vision around, I decided to synchronize both my vision to my form before I began to float away from those red-eyed birds.
It’s not like they can harm me anyways considering I don’t have a physical body.
Oh, right. Those flowers are so beautiful, I want to take them. Turning around, I used my telekinesis to gently pluck the glowing flowers from their stems and floated them into my hands. I wonder if I can replant them in Aeonian. They would look quite lovely in my home, I think.
I pivoted around and began floating away from the grassy patch. Hovering above a small river that divided this area from the darker part, I phased through the trees and continued onward.
It wasn’t as dark as Aeonian, so it was fairly easy to discern my surroundings. The sheer number of trees and large leaves, however, obstructed my visibility. While observing, I noticed several insects buzzing around, small animals darting between branches, and even caught sight of a snake slithering nearby before disappearing into a thick patch of grass.
The most captivating sight was the vine-like roots glowing in dark blue and violet, stretching across distance and spreading randomly across the ground, covered multiple times by overgrown grass.
It’s quite fascinating to see them in their nature. I’ve read them in the books at the People’s hall before. Although I wanted to use my telekinesis and check the wild animals at a closer proximity, I restrained myself, knowing I must return home. I couldn’t afford further distractions, especially moments like this.
While floating around, I sensed something was different than before. The buzzing noises seemed muffled, almost as if the sounds were being drowned, emanating from the insects in my surroundings. Is this the ambiance that the book had described? If so, I couldn’t help but want to have a body at this moment.
I can only imagine what it would feel like to have a body and hear the buzzing noises of the animals around me clearly. It feels like it would be a different experience with a body. Recollecting the past, when a book fell, I could hear it clearly with a body, but without one, the sound was somewhat muffled, albeit slightly.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Although the difference was slightly different, it’s sometimes noticeable.
As I gazed around, I slowly realized that this was my first time stepping out of Aeonian, experiencing a whole new world that was different from the one I knew. The familiar sight of dusty books and intricate characters etched on the walls of Aeonian were left behind, replaced by something entirely different in this new place.
This is not good. No matter what I do, thoughts of Aeonian keep haunting me. It’s driving me insane. I need to clear my mind—I need a place to rest. Perhaps sleeping will help pass the time while I wait for Pheleppeides to return.
Searching around as I moved forward, I realized I was unknowingly tracing a path—a path? A lengthy stretch of compacted dirt devoid of grass lay ahead. It felt oddly familiar, almost similar to how it is described in the books.
Perhaps if I continue following this path, I might come across a city, a town, or a village… Perhaps even an Aegir? After all, there were surviving fakes; why couldn’t there be surviving Aegirs as well?
However, they might also harm me too, much like those fakes… But can they harm me even though I don’t have a body? Actually, I should take this time to recover my Mana until Pheleppeides wakes up. Suddenly, a noise echoed from the distance, piquing my curiosity, leading me to hasten my pace.
The noise grew louder as I approached its source, until I reached the end where nature abruptly ended. The scenery suddenly changed as my eyes locked onto a glowing white circular object floating above. That’s quite beautiful. Shifting my focus, I discovered the origin of the noise—water gushing down violently. That’s what you call a waterfall, right?
My gaze trailed the path of the waterfall to a vast body of water below. Something on the floating caught my attention, straining my vision to discern it was ice. Continuing to observe, a sudden realization struck me—I had been floating forward without any ground beneath me. Quickly, I retraced my path while thinking how beautiful this place is.
As I made my way to the stable ground of the cliff, I couldn’t help but notice the towering mountains peeking above the trees, their peaks glistening with a blanket of white snow. It was truly a remarkable sight, I couldn’t help but feel elated. If only Pheleppeides were here, I could ask to capture it in a picture, making it easier to see without resorting to other methods like dreaming.
Speaking of which, I should recollect my memories with aeonian. To do that, I... need to sleep, I think? At least that'd help me pass the time while I wait for Pheleppeides. I scanned my surroundings in search of a place to settle. My gaze landed on a small crevice along the cliffside, hidden beneath the cascading waterfall. Intrigued, I floated towards it, eager for a place to rest.
Inside the cave, I discovered a small area with just a small patch of grass, appearing to be a dead end with no visible path forward. When I turned back, I was confronted by the waterfall blocking my view, all while contemplating the name ‘Aeonian’ before venturing further inside.
Placing the glowing flowers beside me, I laid down on the ground… Except, I wasn’t actually on the ground; I was still floating a small distance away from it.
Let’s rest here and hope I wake up to Pheleppeides’s greeting… I closed my vision, my entire sight filled with a black void, a pure emptiness world.
Strangely enough, sleeping didn’t feel like sleeping as the books described; it felt more like I was looking into my past, a recollection of events that had occurred before. Unfortunately, I found myself unable to fully control the direction of my recollection.
~~~
“What is this?”
Following the guiding light, I stopped in front of a fallen Guardian whose appearance resembled the male form of Aegirs from the books. However, with slight differences — tall yet frail in body with dark blue hair and dressed in a servant uniform. My attention was not on him but on the box he clutched in his hand.
That looks like a Music box…?
It was my first time seeing a music box, despite having read about them countless times in books. As I knelt down slowly, supporting my heavy body with one hand and subconsciously using telekinesis to aid my movements. Carefully, I pried open the strong grip around the box, then held it in my hands.
“Phe… Peldis. Teledes… AAaaArga. Pheleppeides,” I struggled to pronounce the name correctly in this new body, feeling frustrated.
“How can I help you?” They replied.
“This. Box. Here. this?”
“If you are referring to what you are currently holding, it is a music box,” Pheleppeides explained, their tone remaining unbothered.
So it is one. But how do I wind it up like the books said? I tried using my telekinesis to make it float in front of me and examined it, but found nothing. Oh, could this be it? Moments after, I discovered a small button on its side and pressed it with my telekinesis.
Suddenly, one of its sides opened, revealing a small figure made of materials. I wasn’t startled, as I was anticipating something like that in the first place. I rearranged its position in the air, and suddenly—
“Wi Tala Nunien toz, tata vahi, tata vahi—”
Voices… Soothing voices flowed from the music box, accompanied with some kind of instrument that created a wonderful sounding.
“This…Wonderful. Me. Like this.”
It was my first time experiencing such music, and this sounds amazing. The voices sound beautiful, the sounds around the voice also sounds great. I don’t know a lot of music, but this makes me want to listen more. Before I knew it, I was swaying to echoing voices.
Is this what an Aegir sounds like? They seem different from Pheleppeides, sounding more lively and often changing how their voices sound.
Using my Mana, I exclaimed as I pointed at the floating music box, “This. Amazing! Pheleppeides! Are you listening? This—cool! Very!”
“Yes, I am listening.” Pheleppeides replied.
“Pheleppeides! I want this! I want this! I take this. Put to the Core, okay?” I asked, before I knew it, I had my hands wrapped around the music box.
“Of course.”
Upon hearing that, I couldn’t help but burst into joy, feeling my hands trembling as I shook the box repeatedly.
~~~
Out of the blue, a distant sound shattered my peaceful state, scattering my recollection of a cherished memory. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment that spread throughout my entirety… No… There was a lot more to it, I recalled taking my first dance with that new body. The abrupt ending left a hole in my form. I miss Aeonian. I miss Aeonian. I miss reading books on Aeonian. I miss Pheleppeides.
I pondered the reason for my abrupt awakening. Was it the noise? But the waterfall nearby generated plenty of sound. Lifting my head and adjusting my posture, I surveyed my surroundings curiously. Ah, right. The cave. Not Aeonian.
Shoving this aching sensation. Glancing at my HUD, it displayed 12 out of 70. I must not have slept for long.
That’s strange. What is this noise? That very noise that pierced through the ambiance of the waterfall—that very noise seems to be growing, as if it’s approaching this place.
Suddenly, as if in response to the question in my mind, a figure burst through the waterfall, tumbling onto the ground. The humanoid quickly regained composure, tossed aside their belongings and sat down, closing their eyes.
Who?